Sunil John, the founder and CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, was presented with the Chairman’s Award at the Middle East PR Awards 2016.

Now in its eighth year, the Middle East PR Awards recognises agencies, corporates, teams and individuals who have shown exceptional return on investment, creativity and strategic impact.

The Chairman’s Award, one of the top prizes at the industry’s biggest event, is given to an individual for their overall contribution to the PR profession in the Middle East and was handed over by Brian Lott, Chairman of MEPRA.

In a speech during the ceremony, Sunil dedicated his award to the roster of senior PR professionals who have helped build the sector in the region, as well as expressing his confidence in the industry’s future.

“The PR industry today provides a huge opportunity for young people, particularly young Arabs – and it’s fantastic to see how it is attracting some of the top talents in the market place,” John said. “Just by looking around this evening, I am convinced that the future of our profession is in exceptionally capable hands.”

Sunil has been at the heart of the region’s public relations industry for more than two decades, and founded ASDA’A in 2000. In 2001, along with four peers in the industry.

Since 2008, Sunil has been the driver behind the annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, a unique thought leadership initiative, and one of the most widely cited pieces of public opinion research on the region by media throughout the world.

The Chairman’s Award capped another exceptional evening for ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller. The eighth annual Arab Youth Survey helped the Agency to receive the MEPRA Gold award in the Corporate Reputation category.

In addition, ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller won a Silver Award in the Live Event, Lunch or Stunt Award for its work on the GEMS Education’s Global Education and Skills Forum.

In the Financial Communications category, the Agency collected a silver award for a first-of-its-kind Islamic Banking Index created especially for Emirates Islamic Bank, which was showcased at the second Global Islamic Economic Summit in Dubai in October 2015.